WebEase stands for Epilepsy, Awareness, Support, and Education. It is a free, web-based self-management program for adults with epilepsy.

“WebEase encourages you to make decisions that are consistent with your own goals. WebEase doesn’t replace instructions from your doctor, but helps you better follow those instructions and gain better control over managing your epilepsy.”

Sandra Helmers, MD, MPH. Professor of Neurology at Emory University and WebEase lead scientist.

With WebEase, adults with epilepsy set goals and create a personal plan to improve or maintain skills, including:

Taking medications as prescribed.

Managing stress.

Getting a good night’s sleep.

People can use WebEase to watch videos of others who have dealt with similar issues or read from trusted on-line sources. WebEase also includes MyLog, an online health diary that gives feedback about how their medication schedule, stress, and sleep may be related to their seizures.

Because WebEase adapts to your needs, you only work on the parts that matter to you.

WebEase is for adults with epilepsy who are interested in improving the way they manage their epilepsy. You can use WebEase regardless of where you are in life, or how long you have lived with epilepsy.

Here is how WebEase works. All you need is a computer or a tablet connected to the Internet.

First, you answer a few questions about you and your epilepsy, such as: what medications you take, the types of seizures you have, what are your seizure triggers, how well and how much you sleep, and how stress affects you. This is so we can better understand your needs. You are then ready to start the WebEase program.

WebEase has 3 learning “modules,” each on a different topic: medication, stress, and sleep. You only access the modules that are important for you. Going through a module, you:

Read information at your own pace and respond to questions.

Receive personalized feedback based on your answers.

Listen to testimonials and watch others as they talk about their experiences with epilepsy.

At the end of a module, set a small, achievable goal to improve the way you manage your epilepsy, your medications, your sleep or your stress.

Check in about a week later and look at what you were able to achieve.

You can take any module more than once as you work toward your goals for living well with epilepsy. You can come back as many times as you need.

WebEase includes MyLog, an online health diary you can use to track your seizures, medications, seizure triggers, stress, and sleep. MyLog can help you see patterns that may be related to your seizures. WebEase uses the information you track to personalize your experience and to fit your unique needs.

WebEase is different from other Epilepsy websites because it does not tell you what you should do. Instead, it asks you what you would like to change, and then provides personalized feedback on the topics that interests you. We believe that it is more effective when you figure out for yourself what works for you.

WebEase is for adults, 18 years of age or older, diagnosed with epilepsy and who are interested in improving the way they manage their condition. People with epilepsy were involved in developing and testing WebEase, which is critical to the program success.

You can use WebEase regardless of how long you have lived with epilepsy. WebEase will be particularly helpful for those who have been recently diagnosed with epilepsy.

WebEase is also for those who need help with staying on track with their medication schedule, reducing their stress levels, or improving their sleep.

You can access WebEase from any computer or tablet device with an Internet connection and a browser.

Managing a condition like epilepsy can be complex and frustrating. Sometimes, seizures make it hard to work, go to school, drive, and take part in social activities. Sometimes epilepsy treatment makes these activities harder, too. Self-management skills can help people take control of their health and cope with their day-to-day challenges.

Self-management does not mean that people manage their health alone. Self-management requires an active partnership between a person with epilepsy, their family or friends, and the health care provider. Each one plays an important role in epilepsy self-management:

Self-management is what you do to take care of yourself. You can learn how to manage your epilepsy and have an active and full life.

Begin with these tips:

Take your medication as prescribed.

Talk with your healthcare provider when you have questions.

Recognize and avoid seizure triggers (such as stress), when possible.

Keep a record of your seizures and look for patterns, so you can talk about them with your doctor.

Get enough sleep.

Exercise safely.

Lower stress.

Keep in touch with friends, family, and other people that can help you.